curses
by Procrastination Fairy
Summary: Five times Venus failed to save Serenity.


**I wanted to write something, and this is what happened. Sort of manga-verse, but sort of not? Basically, the Shitennou survive and see Mamoru and Usagi be swallowed by Metalia.**

i.

You cannot hear the voices from where you stand on a balcony of the palace, but you watch as Endymion and Serenity descend the stairs to face the mob. You curse Endymion for allowing the princess out of the palace, and you curse yourself for allowing Endymion to watch over the princess. You see Kunzite step forward, and you see Endymion and his guard exchange words, but you do not know what is being said.

And then a red-haired woman with eyes like black holes and fingers like talons rushes forward and slings the sword that is much too big for her to carry. The sword slowly falls towards Serenity, but Endymion rushes in front of her and takes the blunt of the attack, giving the princess time to step back and stare in horror. All is silent for a moment, and then Jadeite is on his knees beside Endymion, screaming, but you still understand none of what is said. Endymion's guards gather around his body and stare blankly until Kunzite looks back to the princess and points. She clutches her hand to her chest, shaking her head vigorously, shoulders trembling with sobs.

You imagine Kunzite accuses Serenity of bewitching Endymion to jump in front of her. Serenity, of course, denies this, as she would never do such a thing. And then the witch of a woman grabs the sword and slings it again, and this time it hits Serenity's stomach and she falls beside Endymion.

For a moment, you do not comprehend what is happening, but then your blood runs cold as you feel your bond to Serenity unravel, and she is gone. You watch as Kunzite orders his men to attack, and you call to your team through the bonds to do the same, and the door behind you opens, and you turn and pull out your sword, and you fight.

You fight until you've managed to make your way outside, and you look around you see Mercury lying on ground, hands nearly slashed off, and over there is Jupiter, minus her head, which you do not believe you are interested in finding. If only you'd ever had to fight, you think half-heartedly, then perhaps your girls would have managed to hold their own. You then turn to search for Mars, and you find her facing Jadeite. She is the last one, and you can't lose her, you know, but she's collapsed to her knees, and blood runs down her thighs. You watch as Jadeite taunts her, and then Mars's head snaps up. She gives him a wicked grin, and everything is aflame, but you can see their bodies as they burn and char and turn to dust.

You hear Zoisite cackle, and you turn to see he is standing directly behind you. You take him down with a quick slash of your sword, and then you go to Nephrite and do the same.

Serenity had made you promise that you would not hurt Endymion's guard. He loves them, she said, and he needs them. You promised you would not, so long as no harm came to Serenity.

Now, none of that is in your mind, and revenge is your only thought as you search to take down the last one.

You feel the blade in your back, slowly sliding in, and then you see the tip peek out of your ribs. You fall to your knees and briefly worry you've scraped them, but what's a little more blood, really?

You crane your head back so far it's painful, but you don't care so long as you can see Kunzite. You curse him in every language you know, and you damn him to lose Endymion more than you lose Serenity.

You don't entirely understand what the curses you say entail, but he deserves them all.

ii.

There are five of you, they say, five witches, a coven. You are just friends. That is your plea, and you insist and insist and insist. But she reads so much, and she is too wild, and she knows of herbs, and she is so enchanting. You are too beautiful, and all together, you must be witches.

Your accusers are a woman who you think looks more a witch than of you, your friend's beloved husband, a priest, your friend's servant, and the man you believed to be your true love.

They take you to the stage and ask you to confess, and you look in their eyes and remember. You screech and scream and curse them with everything you have, and they call that proof.

They burn you all.

iii.

You are a young orphan and thus without a home. You count yourself very fortunate when a wealthy family takes you in to be a handmaiden for their young daughter. You are very happy, and your lady is lovely, and life is good. Your lady is beautiful and kind, and she tells your stories of her betrothed and his love. They were betrothed at such a young age, and more often than not, those sort of betrothals do not lead to happiness, but these two have found love in each other. You wish to bless them both with all you have, for there truly has never been a lovelier couple.

Years pass, and it soon comes time that your lady's wedding must be planned. You help her design her dress and plan every detail, and she calls your her dearest friend. This pleases you beyond belief. Their wedding is the talk of the town, and you know such benevolent people will surely be the most loved in all the nation.

You embroider your lady's dress and veil, and when she puts them on, she seems so ethereal you are loath to call her human. She tells you she is happy, so happy, and as the wedding day approaches, she seems to glow, and you wonder how such a perfect woman could belong to the Earth. Surely, she could not. She must belong to the high above, too perfect for anyone on this planet, and yet she graces the ground with her presence.

When the day arrives, you assist her in dressing and tell her she looks beautiful and her betrothed with surely fall in love all over again. She beams with joy, and you can wish for nothing bad for her.

And the door slams open, and Nephrite rushes forward with a knife. You push your lady to the ground, for you must not fail again, and you disarm the man and stab him with the knife. You tell your lady to tell no one of what happened, and she, the poor, terrified darling, agrees. You guide her to the chapel, and she marries him, and all is well.

The celebration is beautiful, and the newlyweds are so in love. There is a toast, and you drink to their long life. Your lady feels ill, though, and retires early to her room.

Soon, your new lord asks you to take his wife's goblet to her. He says she should drink to ease her pain, and he gives such a sad, earnest look, you are unable to refuse.

You find your lady lying in bed, eyes shut and skin pale. You curse yourself for forgetting that there are many ways to kill. You raise the goblet to your lips and drink. You will follow your lady wherever she goes.

iv.

You cannot find her, and you do not know what to do. You find only one person at all, and soon you decide you must use that to your advantage.

You take Kunzite as your lover.

You are told that there is a point at which you keep your enemies too close, but this is the only way, you are sure. When he kisses you, you remember days when you thought his lips were kissing with love. You remember learning that his affair with you was simply a ploy to earn your trust and learn more about the moon. You remember being told that at least you were desirable enough for an affair. You think it very strange that lips feel the same whether you believe they kiss out of love or desire.

He kisses you again and pulls you down onto the sheets. Your hair sprawls about the bed, and he says it's a pretty golden color, and you tell him you always thought it seemed a little orange. He smiles and pulls you close, and you give him all your love, trying to tell yourself that everything you do to him is feigned and you feel nothing. When at last you are both exhausted, he rolls to the other side of the bed, and you stay still, taking a moment to close your eyes and regain yourself.

When you open them, you see your lover holding a knife above your breast. You catch his hand and withdraw the knife, turning it on him instead. He does not seem surprised. He says you were always very skilled, even without training.

He calls you Venus.

You tighten your grip on the knife in your hand, but with the knife poised to strike, you find you cannot move.

He questions your decision to make him your lover when you had full memory of your history. You cannot find it in you to explain; perhaps it is that you worry the truth will come out if you speak. You remain silent, eyes locked on his. He takes this opportunity to tell you of his longing for your embrace, to hold you in his arms, and, oh, how he loves you. The words are beautiful, but you cannot believe him, and you tell him so. You steel your face so no expression could give him any indication of what you really feel. He ignores your dismissal and asks you to join him. He tells you that your princess has you fooled, just as she did Endymion. He tells you he can save you. He tells you that they killed her many years ago.

You need no savior, and you tell him so. You slam the knife into his chest and push him off the bed to the ground. He does not attempt to move from his position on the floor, simply staring at you in a way that unnerves you more than anything before.

You turn your back to him and slide off the bed. He pulls the knife off himself and hurls it at your back. It lands in the same scar you have every life. Another mistake, you think, as you feel the blood drip down your skin. Never turn your back on him, for he will always stab it. You curse him weakly and crawl back into bed to die.

v.

Usagi and Mamoru are gone, and you can't believe it. Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, and Jadeite are staring at the spot where they disappeared, as if trying to figure out how they'd come so far from their prince, and the girls are behind you. You would guess they're in shock too, but you can't see.

You fall to the ground screaming and crying. Mars drops down and wraps her arms around you, but you will not be consoled. You curse yourself for this failure and every other one you've ever made.


End file.
